janeray1940
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- Nov 19, 2009
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Hey all. Here's a challenge I know some of you will appreciate: your recommendations for my next uke purchase.
I need (yeah, "need") a uke that will be my dedicated low-G instrument. I don't want to make my Kamaka concert this uke, because I like it re-entrant (and am too lazy to swap out the G string back and forth). I'm considering a Kamaka tenor for this, but I'm not quite sure my stubby fingers are up for the challenge of a tenor. The Kamaka long neck pineapple is also under consideration, if I can find one and try it out first (I've heard a few cons about that particular instrument).
I'll be in Hawaii (Oahu) in February and plan to make my purchase there, in person. Aside from the obvious - another Kamaka concert! - what should I consider?
Keli'i is the first brand I'm going to check out. I've never seen or heard one in person. They look great on the web, but I've heard the necks are on the thick side, so that may be a problem for me. For that matter, Kanile'as are probably out of the question - I've spent some quality time with a Kanile'a concert uke and never got completely comfortable with it.
Other random criteria:
I like koa. I also like mahogany. I don't like mango (even though I think it looks beautiful).
I don't like bling. The less decoration, flashy stuff, logos, etc., the better. I haven't ruled out Koaloha completely (I had a Koaloha soprano and liked the sound and feel of it), but as a reference point, I consider their design to be too "bling-y" for me.
I would prefer the uke to be made in Hawaii. For this particular purchase, made in China is a dealbreaker.
I'm happiest with a concert sized uke, but I also comfortably play sopranos as long as there are 13 or more frets. The more frets, the better.
So - with that in mind - tell me what you'd buy if you were me!
I need (yeah, "need") a uke that will be my dedicated low-G instrument. I don't want to make my Kamaka concert this uke, because I like it re-entrant (and am too lazy to swap out the G string back and forth). I'm considering a Kamaka tenor for this, but I'm not quite sure my stubby fingers are up for the challenge of a tenor. The Kamaka long neck pineapple is also under consideration, if I can find one and try it out first (I've heard a few cons about that particular instrument).
I'll be in Hawaii (Oahu) in February and plan to make my purchase there, in person. Aside from the obvious - another Kamaka concert! - what should I consider?
Keli'i is the first brand I'm going to check out. I've never seen or heard one in person. They look great on the web, but I've heard the necks are on the thick side, so that may be a problem for me. For that matter, Kanile'as are probably out of the question - I've spent some quality time with a Kanile'a concert uke and never got completely comfortable with it.
Other random criteria:
I like koa. I also like mahogany. I don't like mango (even though I think it looks beautiful).
I don't like bling. The less decoration, flashy stuff, logos, etc., the better. I haven't ruled out Koaloha completely (I had a Koaloha soprano and liked the sound and feel of it), but as a reference point, I consider their design to be too "bling-y" for me.
I would prefer the uke to be made in Hawaii. For this particular purchase, made in China is a dealbreaker.
I'm happiest with a concert sized uke, but I also comfortably play sopranos as long as there are 13 or more frets. The more frets, the better.
So - with that in mind - tell me what you'd buy if you were me!
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